North Korea says missile strike on US is ‘inevitable’ after ‘deranged’ Trump insulted Rocket Man Kim

U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers escorted by fighter jets flew in international airspace over waters east of North Korea today

By Guy Birchall

24th September 2017, 9:01 am

Updated: 25th September 2017, 9:30 am

NORTH Korea's Foreign Minister branded Trump "a mentally deranged person full of megalomania" as he said a strike against the US mainland was "inevitable" at the UN.

Ri Yong-ho spoke hours after US war planes flew the closest they have been to the pariah state this century in a show of force by the Pentagon.

AP:Associated Press

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho branded Trump "a mentally deranged person full of megalomania" who is holding "the nuclear button" at the UN

US bombers and fighter jets sent ​close to North Korea​n borders​ in show of force

Ri hit back after Trump branded Kim Jong-un "rocket man" and said he was on a "suicide mission" at the same venue last week.

He added that, "none other than Trump himself is on a suicide mission," saying The Donald's insults made "our rocket's visit to the entire US mainland inevitable all the more".

Addressing the annual gathering in New York he continued: "Through such a prolonged and arduous struggle, now we are finally only a few steps away from the final gate of completion of the state nuclear force.

"It is only a forlorn hope to consider any chance that the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) would be shaken an inch or change its stance due to the harsher sanctions by the hostile forces."

The B-1B Lancer bombers and a F-15 fighter escorts were in international airspace over waters east of North Korea.

AFP

US and South Korean jets carried out practice bombing raids in a show of force early today

North Korea's Foreign Minister hit back hours later ranting at Trump branding him "a mentally deranged person full of megalomania" who is holding "the nuclear button".

He added that: "None other than Trump himself is on a suicide mission."

Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said of today's display of air power: "This is the farthest north of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) any U.S. fighter or bomber aircraft have flown off North Korea's coast in the 21st century, underscoring the seriousness with which we take (North Korea's) reckless behaviour.

"This mission is a demonstration of U.S. resolve and a clear message that the President has many military options to defeat any threat.

"We are prepared to use the full range of military capabilities to defend the U.S. homeland and our allies."

The flight follows a week of heightened rhetoric from Washington and Pyongyang, with Trump and Kim Jong Un trading insults.

Trump called the North Korean leader a "madman" on Friday, a day after Kim dubbed him a "mentally deranged U.S. dotard."

Pyongyang conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test on Sept. 3 and has launched dozens of missiles this year as it accelerates a program aimed at enabling it to target the United States with a nuclear-tipped missile.

The North has threatened to test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific.

The Pentagon said the B-1B Lancer bombers came from Guam and the U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagle fighter escorts came from Okinawa, Japan. It said the operation showed the seriousness with which it took North Korea's "reckless behavior."